Method for bedding panels into frames



March 4, 1969 1.. M. HODGEN METHOD FOR BEDDING PANELS INTO FRAMES Sheet of 2 Filed March 2, 1966 INVENTOR. Lam/v M HODGEN 7Z6 BY 441 51% Eww flrrw. & C g

March 4, 1969 L. M. HODGEN METHOD FOR BEDDING PANELS INTO FRAMES Sheet 2 of 2 Filed March 2, 1966 INVENTOR. Loan/v M. lbaaslv United States Patent 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A frame and panel assembly and method for making the same is provided. The frame has a generally L-shaped cross-section with two legs merging at an apex corner. The method comprises the steps of first forming dams extending transversely across the interior surface of the frame at two locations spaced along the length thereof. The frame is placed and retained in a filling position wherein the legs of the frame extend upwardly from the apex corner and at acute angles relative to a horizontal reference so that the interior surface of the frame can hold liquid between the dams. The interior is at least partially filled with liquid bedding material which is curable by heat to a solid condition whereby the bedding material adheres to the frame and to a panel. A marginal edge of a panel is placed in the interior of the frame closely spaced from the interior frame surface so that the panel edge becomes immersed in the liquid bedding material. The liquid bedding material is then heated to cure it to a solid form. The marginal edge of the panel may be placed in the frame before or after filling the frame with liquid bedding material.

Background of the invention This invention relates to the framing of panels and to a method of bedding a panel into a frame. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of bedding a panel into a frame member having an L-shape in section wherein the frame member is dammed and positioned so that it will hold liquid bedding material which is cured by heat to a solid form to provide a bed for the panel in the frame.

For some time, glass panels for automotive windows have been bedded into frames by the use of strips of rubber. A worker folds a strip of unvulcanized rubber over the edge of a panel and then inserts the panel edge into a channel shaped frame. Excess rubber is trimmed off with a hot knife and the frame and panel are washed or otherwise cleaned since the framing procedure is rather messy. Difierent thicknesses of glass require the use of different thicknesses of rubber. All of this processing is carried out manually, and consequently labor costs are relatively high.

Where a panel has been bedded in a frame having a section other than channel shaped, such as an L-shaped frame, it has been necessary to bolt or otherwise secure the panel and frame together. This requires that holes be provided in the panel and frame to accept bolts or other fasteners.

In order to overcome the drawbacks of the manual method using rubber strips, it has been proposed to bed glass panels in metal frames by injecting liquid bedding material between the frame and panel and subsequently curing the liquid to a solid form. The bedding material is a liquid thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic material which can be cured by heat to a solid form that is adherent to the metal frame and to the glass panel. This method has many advantages over the method using rubber strips. It automatically compensates for variations in glass thickness, does not require trimming, is a clean "ice procedure and does not require washing or cleaning of the glass and frame assembly, and provides a water-tight seal without the use of additional sealers. A method of this type is described in a co-pending application of Robert I. Deisenroth, Ser. No. 222,590 filed Sept. 10, 1962, now Patent No. 3,263,014, issued July 26, 1966, and assigned to the assignee of this application, and reference may be made thereto for additional information on the method.

Since the bedding material which is injected into the frame is a liquid in the method of the co-pending application, some precautions must be observed to keep the liquid from spilling or running out of the frame. This can be done fairly easily when the frame is channel-shaped in section simply by holding the frame in a position wherein its base is horizontal and its channel legs extend upward so that liquid may be supplied to the recess between the legs. Frames of other shapes, such as a frame with an Lshaped section, cannot be handled in the same way. If the base leg is horizontal and the other leg is vertical, liquid injected into the frame would simply run out.

The present invention now proposes a method of bedding a panel into a frame with an L-shaped section by the steps of:

(a) Forming dams extending transversely across the interior surface of the frame at two locations spaced from each other lengthwise of the frame,

(b) Placing and retaining the frame in a filling position wherein the legs of the frame extend upward from the frames apex corner and at acute angles relative to a horizontal reference,

(c) At least partially filling the interior of the frame with liquid bedding material,

(d) Before or after the filling step, placing the edge of a panel in the interior of the frame with surfaces of the panel close to and parallel to the legs of the frame, and

(e) Heating the liquid bedding material to cure it to a solid form in which it adheres to the frame and to the panel and provides a bed for the panel in the frame.

Thus by a combination of dams and a selected positioning of the L-shaped frame member, it is possible to supply liquid bedding material to the interior of the frame member without having it run out. By the method of the invention, a panel may be bedded into an L-shaped frame without using bolts or other fasteners to secure the panel and frame together. When the panel edge is inserted into the frame member, it is desirable to have its surfaces close to the legs of the frame but spaced by a prescribed distance from the frame legs. For this purpose, projections may be formed in the frame member at its interior side which contact the panel when it is inserted and keep it properly spaced from the legs of the frame. These projections may be integral with the frame or they may be separate projecting members which are attached to the frame. These projections may also serve a damrning function, particularly in combination with separate damming members initially placed in the frame next to the projection but removed after the panel is inserted into the frame.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of bedding a panel into a frame member which is L-shaped in section.

Another object of the invention is to position and darn an L-shaped frame member so that it will hold a liquid bedding material therein while a panel is bedded into the frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide an L-section frame member with spacer structure which keeps a panel spaced a specified distance from the legs of the frame while the panel is bedded into the frame and also in the final panel and frame assembly.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an L-section frame mounted in fixtures and ready to be filled with liquid bedding material;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the frame and fixture taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing an edge of a panel as placed in the frame during the bedding process;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a spacer formed integrally in the frame by bending the material of the frame;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the final frame and panel assembly;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of an embodiment wherein a separate spacer element is used rather than the integral spacer provided in the frame of FIGURES 1 through 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a different form of integral spacer in accordance with another embodiment; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of an embodiment in which liquid bedding material is injected into the frame after the panel has been placed therein.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

As shown on the drawings:

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the L-shaped frame member 1*!) is supported and retained in a filling position by a fixture block 12 which has an L-shaped recess 14 in which the frame member is received. The frame member 10 rests in the recess 14 in the position wherein its apex portion 16 is the lowest portion of the frame, and its two legs 18 and 20 extend upwardly from apex portion 16 and are at acute angles with a horizontal reference. With the frame 10 supported in this position, it can hold a liquid provided that the ends of the frame member are blocked or dammed so that the liquid cannot run out of the frame lengthwise thereof.

The damming of the frame member may be accomplished by placing dam members 24 and 26 in the interior surface 22 of the frame and positioning these dam members so that they extend transversely of the interior sur- 5 face 22. The damming members 24 and 26 are triangular and fit snugly in the frame member so that when liquid material is supplied to the frame 10 between the darn members 24 and 26 it does not run out the ends of the'frame. The damming members 24 and 26 may be made of a rigid material or of a more resilient material such as rubber or plastic. A material such as silicone rubber might be used since this material will part from the liquid bedding material allowing the damming members 24 and 26 to be removed later on in the processing.

The frame member 10 has inwardly projecting indentations 28 and 30 extending transversely across the same. These projections 28 and 30 serve as spacers for properly positioning the panel when it is inserted into the frame, and they also serve a damming function after the separate damming members 24 and 26 are removed from the frame. In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the projections 28 and 30 are formed by indenting or bending the metal of the frame member 10 towards the interior side of the frame member so that the projections are in the form of ridges extending transversely of the frame.

Attached to the fixture block 12 there is an arm 34 having a cross arm 36 attached to it, and these arms serve to retain a glass panel in position after it has been inserted into the frame. Cross arm 36 has inwardly bent end portions 38 and 40 for embracing the glass panel and retaining it so that it cannot move lengthwise of the frame member 10. Arm 34 has a bent portion 42 which is connected by a hinge 44 to the main part of the arm 34. The bent portion 42 fits over one edge of the panel after it is inserted in the fixture and prevents the panel from moving upward out of the frame member 10. Arms 34 and 36 may be coated with rubber or some other suitable non-abrasive material so that the arms will not mar the glass panel when it is placed in contact with the surfaces of the arms.

FIGURE 2 shows the frame member 10 in its filling position in fixture block 12 with its apex portion 16 lowermost and its legs 18 and 20 extending upwardly and angularly from the apex corner 16. One of the damming members 26 is shown and the ridge 28 is shown just in front of the damming member 26. In this view, liquid bedding material 50 has been supplied into the frame between the dams 24 and 26. The liquid material 50 partially fills the interior surface 22 of the frame member 10, and enough liquid is inserted to completely fill the space between a panel and the frame member 10 when the panel is inserted. Allowance must be made for the liquid material that is displaced by the panel.

FIGURE 3 shows the assembly of frame 10, fixture block 12 and a marginal edge portion of a panel 54 after the panel edge has been inserted into the frame 10. It may be seen in FIGURE 3 how the liquid bedding material 50 fills the space between panel 54 and legs 18 and 20 of frame member 10. One surface 56 of the panel is closely spaced from and parallel to leg 18 of the frame member and another surface 58 of the panel is closely spaced from and parallel to the other leg 20 of the frame member. The panel 54 is generally at an angle with respect to a horizontal reference and is retained in this angular position by the arms 34 and 36 of the fixture assembly as described in connection with FIGURE 1. The panel rests on the ridges 28 and 30, and the ridges thus serve to space the surfaces 56 and 58 of the panel at the proper distance from legs 18 and 20 of the frame.

At this point it may be noted that it is possible to insert the panel 54 into the frame 10 before the frame is filled with liquid bedding material. An arrangement for accomplishing this is illustrated in FIGURE 8. In this view, the panel 54 is placed in the frame 10 in the same manner as has been described in FIGURE 3; that is, with panel surfaces 56 and 58 parallel respectively to legs 18 and 20 of the frame 10 and with the panel resting on spacer ridges 28 and 30. The panel has been inserted into the frame before the frame is filled with liquid bedding material. In FIGURE 8, two nozzles 60 and 62 are placed respectively at the upper ends of legs 18 and 20 of frame member 10. Liquid bedding material is injected into the space between panel 54 and frame 10 simultaneously through the nozzles 60 and 62, and enough liquid bedding material is injected to completely fill the space between the panel and the flame. Thus, the end result is the same as has been described in connection with FIGURE 3; the difference being that the panel is inserted into the frame member before the frame member is filled with liquid bedding material.

After the frame 10, the panel 54 and the fixture block 12 have been assembled to the condition shown in FIG- URE 3, the. separate damming members 24 and 26 may be removed since the ridges 28 and 30 contact the surface of the panel 54 and cooperate with the panel to dam up the ends of the frame member.

The next step is to heat the liquid bedding material to an elevated temperature at which it cures to a solid form and bonds to the glass panel 54 and to the metal frame 10. The curing step may be acocmplished by placing the frame, panel and fixture assembly in an oven at say 250 F. for about 45 seconds.

The bedding material can be heated in other ways. For example, cartridge heaters might be built into the fixture block 12 in positions wherein they could supply heat to the frame member which then would transfer heat to the liquid bedding material. Alternatively, ultra high frequency heating might be employed or current might be passed through the frame member 10 to heat it and the liquid bedding material to an elevated temperature. In any event, the heat supplied to the liquid bedding material causes it to change to a solid form which is adherent both to the panel and to the frame 10.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show the condition of the assembly after the curing step has been completed. The solid plastic material 50 fills the space between the frame member 10 and the glass panel 54. In FIGURE 4 particularly it may be seen how the ridge 30 spaces the glass panel from the frame. The ridge 28 at the other end of the frame 10 likewise is in contact with the glass panel 54.

FIGURE 6 shows a modification wherein the ridges 28 and 30 are replaced by separate spacer elements, one such spacer element 60 being shown in this view. The method of bedding the panel into the frame is exactly the. same for the embodiment of FIGURE 6 as for the embodiment of FIGURES 1 through 5, the only difference being that a separate spacer member 60 is attached to the frame near one end and a similar spacer element is attached to the frame at the other end. The spacer 60 might be a piece of felt or rubber or some other suitable rigid or semi-rigid spacing material.

FIGURE 7 shows another modification wherein the ridges 28 and 30 are replaced by a bent over lip 62 at the end of the frame member 10. The panel 54 is positioned in the frame at an angle as shown and is bonded to the frame by the bedding material 50. The bent over lip 62 spaces the panel 54 the correct distance from the frame 10 and also acts as a dam. Another identical lip is formed at the other end of the frame 10. The method of bedding the panel into the frame is like that described in connection with FIGURE 8. That is, the panel 54 is placed in the frame as in FIGURE 7 and liquid bedding material is injected into the frame as in FIGURE 8. The assembly may be oven heated to cure the bedding material.

The resinous material which is employed for the bedding material may be either a thermosetting plastic or a thermoplastic material. The material should have the following properties:

(1) Resiliency-to provide a suitable bedding for the glass.

(2) Adherence-to provide a bond between the glass and the metal frame.

(3) Curability-to a solid state in a relatively short time by the application of heat, for example, within about 45 seconds at about 250 F.

(4) Resistance to weathering (sunlight, temperature changes and moisture absorption).

(5) Mechanical propertes-such as tensile strength, compressive strength, impact resistance, and toughness sufficient to withstand the stresses encountered in the use of the final assembly.

One class of resins suitable as bedding material are the polyurethane resins. Polyurethane resins are obtained by the reaction of polyisocyanates with organic compounds containing two or more hydrogens to form polymers having free isocyanate groups. Under the influence of heat, the free isocyanate groups react to form a thermosetting material. A suitable thermosetting form may be prepared from castor oil and triisocyanate. A suitable thermoplastic material is polyvinyl resin.

Thus, the invention provides a method of bedding a panel into a frame member which is L-shaped in section. By damming the frame member and positioning it so that its apex corner is lowermost and its legs extend upwardly and angularly from the apex corner it is possible to fill the frame member with liquid bedding material. Either before or after the filling step, a glass panel is positioned at an angle relative to horizontal so that it fits into the angularly positioned frame member. The bedding material is then heated to cure it to its solid form and provide a solid, resilient bed for the panel in the frame.

I claim:

1. A method of bedding a panel into a frame having a generally L-shape cross-section with two legs merging at an apex corner of said frame, said method compris ing the steps of forming dams extending transversely across the interior surface of said frame at two locations spaced along the length thereof, placing and retaining said frame member in a filling position wherein said legs of said frame member extend upward from said apex corner and at acute angles relative to a horizontal reference so that said interior surface of said frame can hold liquid therein between said dams, at least partially filling the interior of said frame between said dams with liquid bedding material which is curable by heat to a solid condition wherein said bedding material is adherent to said frame and to said panel, placing a marginal edge of said panel in the interior of said frame closely spaced from said interior surface so that said panel edge becomes immersed in said liquid bedding material, and heating said liquid bedding material to cure the same to said solid form thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said marginal edge of said panel is placed in said frame before said filling step.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said marginal edge of said panel is placed in said frame after said filling step.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said dams are formed integral with said frame by bending the material of said frame at said spaced locations inwardly relative to said interior surface.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein separate damming members are placed transversely across the interior surface of said frame to form said dams at said spaced locations.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein combination dams and spacers are formed integral with said frame by bending the material of said frame at said spaced locations inwardly relative to said interior surface, and wherein additional separate damming members are placed transversely across the interior surface of said frame at said spaced locations to provide supplementary dams.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said separate damming members are removed after said panel edge has been placed in said frame and in contact with said integral damming portions of said frame.

8. The method of claim 5 in which said separate damming members have a triangular configuration to match the interior surface configuration of said L-shaped frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 696,686 4/1902 Lyons 249-139 X 1,484,076 2/ 1924 Perry 249-139 X 1,489,979 4/1924 Cahill 249-139 X 2,175,672 10/1939 Scott et a1 264-261 X 2,718,664 9/1955 Schweitzer 264-261 X 2,818,613 l/1958 Peras 52-400 X 3,155,204 11/1964 Campbell et al 52-397 X 3,263,014 7/1966 Deisenroth 264-261 3,329,546 7/ 1967 Scheinert 264-261 X JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

I. L. CLINE, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

